Christmas specials have different forms, and can bring in different types of stories. Many attain to what is Christmas about, while not going with the religious context of the holiday. Christmas is about family, friends, it's not about presents, it's not about fancy stuff, it's about love and caring; that's the messages many specials try to give.
The "Hey Arnold" Christmas episode/ special is a very special, special, though I'm not here to over sell it, and it has been seen by a lot of people already it came in the mid 90's. It does have something in common with the Peanuts Christmas special in the sense of it's atmosphere. The atmosphere of the special has a very more sedate dower experience. It's not brightly lit, doesn't have a bunch of songs, and it's focus isn't on Santa and stuff like that. In terms Nickelodeon specials it's different from most of the others just because how it looks and feels.
The special starts differently than most "Hey Arnold" episodes, it doesn't have the theme song, it just has the title with Christmas music and showing scenes around the city the show takes place. It has snow because, of course, but it's quiet mostly with the Christmas music playing and the sounds of the kids doing winter things. That's only for the intro, the special itself looks like the snow is mostly gone and just hints of it around.
Helga has a plot in this special and she is actually the first character, with Phoebe we see, even before Arnold, and he has the main plot ,not her, but she's important to the plot as well. It sets up what Helga's ambition for Christmas. she loves the presents, especially, she really wants Nancy Spumoni (funny their Dean Martin expry has a daughter or something famous like Frank Sentra?). The song is kind of catchy. It sets up that Helga really wants that one gift, it's also the hottest gift of the season, every girl and their mother wants those boots. Even Rhonda the rich girl has had a hard time getting them. 
Everybody Loves Boots/ Copyright ViacomCBS
We finally see Arnold with Gerald. (Gerald likes to get everyone ties) Arnold gives one of the main ideas for the special, "if you give someone a present it should be unique" that will drive what he does in the special as much as anything. It inspires Gerald to change some gifts around. Arnold crosses Helga's path, a good way to show their paths will insect later on, and for Helga to do her classic lusting over Arnold monologue. (I think we used the wrong verb) She wants to find the perfect gift for Arnold. That's another plot for this special, that drives Helga, and they will connect all this perfectly.
Computer time? What do they sell there? Hammers? / Copyright ViacomCBS
In speaking of plots, the main main plot is about a secret Santa at the boarding house. The boarders pick a name for a gift to give someone else, Arnold gets Mr. Hyunh for his gift selection process. (we made that sound clinical) Arnold doesn't know what to get man; Gerald offers a great idea.(Mr. Hyunh owns a few sweaters) Because this is a special from the 1990's and I mean that because of the time period, not as knock, there is something of importance to that time frame. Mr. Hyunh talks about an event with Arnold that happened years before. Back in his home country, he had a daughter named Mai. There was a war in the country and it was getting closer and closer to where he lived every day. He made a decision to leave with his daughter, and he goes to an American embassy to get them out, they only had room for one of them, Mr. Hyunh made the decision to get his daughter out of there, to help her get away from the situation, and he'd go to find her. 20 years later, he's able to leave and goes to find her, that's why he's living here. It's an emotional scene, that really does bring tears.
Even though it is kept abstract, the special is mentioning the Vietnam War, the time framing fits it well. The idea to keep it abstract works too, it makes the show timeless a little more. (Even though, maybe some modern tech would change how it works, but still) It's not really about the war as much as it as about a father who had to make a tough decision to make sure his daughter was safe. I will say it's mature for a children's program, but that's not exactly the correct thing to say. I mean that it respects it's audience, it knows the Nickelodeon target audience are children, but it respects that to understand they want deep stories with some emotional weight and isn't afraid to do show them that. The older people watching, especially then, would get it even more deeper. It's doing something that makes it memorable long long after it first aired. Not all TV episodes and Christmas specials have to be deep and have a story in them like this, that would make it boring, and we need a nice mixture of stories for Christmas and in general. I'm glad someone decided to make a story like this to be part of our Christmas specials canon.
Arnold gets an idea, he wants to help find Mr. Hyunh's daughter, and there's tension because it's the day before Christmas. That's right, the stakes are high and time is not their side. I do like how Gerald is skeptical but still willing to help as much as he can. He's a good friend. The special tries to bring some levity with Helga trying to find a present for Arnold. Arnold goes to the office of information, where apparently government at work is drunk. Except one dude, who is busy on his computer, named Mr. Bailey. He's grumpy because he's working on Christmas Eve, I guess.(And he's not drunk) Arnold overhears, Mr. Bailey talking to Mrs. Bailey and gets the idea to his Christmas shopping for him, in exchange for helping him.
He agrees (and gives the kids 300 American Dollars) and says if the get ALL the stuff on the list. (That all is an important all, the all in this part is not important) Arnold learns the other lesson many wait years to learn, Christmas Eve shopping is a miserable experience. How's Helga doing? (Bob, on the scene here and...) Stinky some how was able to mention Arnold, while Helga was shopping for Arnold. Arnold and Gerald shop through montage format with "Good King Wenceslas" in jazz form. Hey Arnold was really cool at using jazz for it's background, it gave the series a nice vibe.
Apparently for Helga, money was no object, she was going to buy a game that cost $99.95 (I think those were 9's). It's funnyto see how Gerald kills her idea before she buys it, it is also fun to see Gerald took Arnold's message to heart. This interaction wasn't with waste! It's plot important. Arnold has one item left on the list. Nancy Spumoni snow boots. He accidently drops the list, Helga finds it.
Buy a whole dang fire engine?/ Copyright ViacomCBS
Arnold didn't know that, play the tape:
Earlier in the episode: "You and every other girl in the city, Helga. The stores are practically sold out, there just aren't enough for everybody." ---Rhonda.
Ah yes, supply and demand, make it scarce and people want it more. (Thank you, CNBC, can we get back to the episode now?)
A shoe store guy takes his time to get his co-workers just to laugh at Arnold. ( Hey! I don't pay for to laugh! You don't pay at us at all! Sssh! ) Arnold can't find the shoes at all, and Mr. Bailey is like NO DEAL I wanted the shoes or my daughter will hate me or something. (He wants the good retirement home) Thanks to Helga being a stalker, (That's a sentence) she over hears the reason why Arnold wants the boots. (He'll look good in them)
Helga comes home and in a surprise twist, her parents remember her name and listened to her because they got her the snow boots. Helga's happy. (Her mother stood 18 hours apparently) Helga then remembers what we just saw a minute ago. She's now faced with what she wants to do. She decides to go to Mr. Bailey and gives him the boots, she works to convince him to help. It has to be one of the most genuine and sweetest things Helga does for Arnold. It's a great emotional scene. (Get these tears out of here!)
It's Christmas morning, Arnold feels bad, until the doorbell rings and the guest happens to be Mr.Hyunh's daughter. It's pouring on the emotion. Arnold doesn't know how this happened, Gerald says don't question it, like Arnold said earlier, Christmas has miracles. Maybe he has a Christmas angel. It cuts to final shot, with Helga standing outside, socks on, no boots, whispering "Merry Christmas, Arnold".
It tied everything together very well, giving an arc for Helga to see Christmas in a different way and yet she wanted to get Arnold something special that would mean a lot to him, and she did. While the gift was that wanted was important the story as much as anything. It was a really nice touch, and well executed. It plays well into Arnold's optimistic characterization. Stealing something from another Christmas special. This episode does a good job at the "Even a miracle needs a hand." Arnold did the work to help get Mr. Hyunh and Mai reunited, and later, Helga does her own push to get it done. Because it's Helga, it was interesting to see her mother, put so much work into giving Helga the gift she wanted, it does show that maybe she does care, even though it's not shown much.
This special is remembered and it should be, the quality is top notch and it's a well done special from it's atmosphere and music, to plot line, to plot line interlacing. Does it tell a good Christmas story and moral? Yes, it brings the idea that Christmas is a time to think about others and how we see them and care for them. Arnold didn't know that Mr. Hyunh had a daughter or much else about him, but he wanted to give a unique gift as he told Gerald should do with his gifts. I like that message. It's a good special, it belongs in the best Christmas specials in time.
That's our look back, tune in next time when we mop up these tears
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